Walmart Connect Canada Ad Policies

These are the foundational operational rules that apply to all advertising on Walmart Connect Canada — covering general advertising standards, partner eligibility, and placement-specific requirements.

General Advertising Policy Introduction

Policy: GS-102

All Canadian ads must link to Walmart.ca landing pages unless an exception is reviewed and approved. External landing pages must be functional, mobile-friendly, accurate in language and content, and free of aggressive UX patterns (disabled back buttons, forced redirects, intrusive chatbots). Vanity URLs must include the brand name, be submitted in lowercase, and follow Walmart's naming and approval process. Non-endemic offsite ads may link to approved non-Walmart destinations.

Policy: GS-103

Advertising cannot be in connection with a product subject to a recall. Advertisers must immediately remove an ad promoting a product subject to recall.

Policy: GS-104

Ads must comply with all applicable local laws in the jurisdiction(s) in which they are appearing.

Advertising location

Policy: GS-105

In-store placements in Canada prohibit a defined list of content categories including vulgar language, occult symbols, violence, nudity, sexual references, gambling, and weapons. Specific product verticals may also be restricted from in-store such as select sexual wellness and adult toys ads. All in-store creative must meet G-rated audience acceptability standards.

Policy: GS-106

Audio and radio ads must be clearly distinguishable from Walmart Radio content, feature only one advertiser per spot, comply with all music licensing requirements, and must not use EAS tones, store-announcement language, or directly address Walmart associates. All categories otherwise prohibited and restricted must also be met with regards to audio ads.

Non-Endemic

Policy: GS-107

Non-endemic brands — those that do not sell products on Walmart.ca — may purchase managed-service offsite advertising only and must link to an approved Walmart.ca brand page. Walmart branding must not appear in non-endemic ad creatives. All non-endemic landing pages require Ad Policy review prior to launch.

Creative and Editorial Standards

How ads must be written, formatted, and presented across Walmart Connect Canada placements — including editorial quality, format and technical specifications, endorsements, and data use.

Data Use and Targeting

Policy: GS-201

Targeting based on health conditions or categories that may suggest health conditions are not allowed. All data use must comply with applicable privacy laws, Walmart's data governance framework, and approved third-party vendor agreements. Advertisers may not build audiences targeting children for any campaigns.

Editorial

Policy: GS-202

Ads must be professionally written and free of misspellings, grammatical errors, excessive capitalization, and unauthorized competitor references. Specific pricing or savings claims are not permitted unless explicitly exempted. All creatives must clearly identify the advertising brand; 'Favorites' claims must include the brand name to avoid implying Walmart endorsement.

Endorsements/testimonials/Influencers

Policy: GS-203

Endorsements and testimonials must be truthful, reflect genuine consumer experience, and comply with Competition Bureau guidelines. Advertisers must confirm in writing that all required licenses for celebrity talent and music are secured. Ads must not reference third parties selling Walmart-branded products without prior written approval.

Format

Policy: GS-204

Ads must comply with placement-specific format requirements including mandatory content rating display (MPA/ESRB), pre-approval requirements for higher-rated entertainment content (R-rated movies, M-rated games, TV-MA shows), badge and disclaimer usage rules, and landing page linkage standards. Social ads are dark-post only — organic posting is prohibited. Celebrity and influencer appearances require prior approval.

Reviews and ratings

Policy: GS-205

Ads using star ratings or review counts must meet sourcing, recency, and eligibility requirements — products must be in stock, and ratings must be clearly attributed to Walmart.ca with the applicable date. MPA ratings for movies and ESRB ratings for video games must be displayed in both visual and audio formats. All entertainment ad creative must meet G-rated audience acceptability regardless of the media's actual rating. Using ratings as a standalone marketing point is prohibited.

Technical specifications

Policy: GS-206

Ads must not include Emergency Alert System tones, flashing visuals harmful to photosensitive viewers, or glitch-style broadcast-failure effects. QR codes must be generated exclusively through Walmart's approved tool, must link only to Walmart-approved destinations, and must function across both the Walmart app and mobile web. External QR codes, codes linking to competitor sites, and codes on private label packaging are prohibited.

Trademarks and intellectual property

Policy: GS-207

Advertisers are solely responsible for securing all necessary licenses and permissions for third-party intellectual property used in advertisements — including celebrity likenesses, influencer appearances, music, logos, and copyrighted imagery. Ads must not infringe the IP, privacy, or publicity rights of any person or entity, and third-party trademarks may require additional screening prior to use.

Prohibited Content (All Ads)

Content categories that are never permitted in any Walmart Connect Canada advertising, regardless of placement, format, or audience.

Content containing minors

Policy: GS-301

Ads must not target, appeal to, or feature children or minors in any capacity — including images of minors or adults who appear to be minors, or personalities primarily associated with children. Content depicting minors in peril, adult situations, or dangerous contexts is strictly prohibited, and advertising must never collect information from children or be designed to market toward them.

Dangerous content

Policy: GS-302

Ads must not promote, depict, or glamorize content that poses a risk to the physical or mental wellbeing of customers — including antisocial or reckless behavior, exploitative or emotionally disturbing imagery, threatening or abusive material, grotesque or horror content, depictions of abused individuals or animals, and content that shames or induces negative feelings about a consumer's appearance or behavior.

Discrimination

Policy: GS-303

Ads must not advocate for, discriminate against, or demean any protected group — including those defined by protected grounds and must not contain hate speech, negative stereotypes, mockery of any religion or its symbols, or content that portrays any group in a pejorative or exploitative light.

Illegal products

Policy: GS-304

Ads must not promote products, services, or content that are illegal, prohibited for sale at Walmart, or inherently deceptive — including illicit drugs and paraphernalia, tobacco, vaping, counterfeit or recalled goods, malware, cheating services, unsanitary products, and services that make unrealistic or false promises.

Misinformation

Policy: GS-305

Ads must not contain false, deceptive, or misleading content of any kind — including fabricated reviews or ratings, inaccurate performance claims, counterfeit endorsement badges, false testimonials, and any content designed to misrepresent a product's character, value, origin, or safety. All performance claims must be substantiated and atypical results must be clearly disclosed alongside average consumer expectations.

Offensive and sexual content

Policy: GS-306

Ads must not include nudity, explicit or implied sexual content, profanity in any form (direct, blurred, gestured, or emoji-implied), gross or tasteless imagery, occult symbols, or content that is crude, sexually suggestive, or socially exploitative. Certain adult-oriented products, publications, and services may be prohibited from all placements, and content leveraging social controversy, fear, or tragedy for commercial gain is not permitted.

Weapons

Policy: GS-307

Advertising of weapons, weapon-related products, and violent content is broadly prohibited across all platforms, with limited exceptions only for clearly fictional/toy weapons depicted in safe, playful, G-rated contexts that do not allude to real violence or targeting of individuals.

Restricted Content

Content categories that may appear in Walmart Connect Canada advertising under specific conditions. Requirements vary by category and may include placement restrictions, vendor or product eligibility, regulatory compliance, or advance review. Refer to each category for the rules that apply.

Alcohol and substitutes

Policy: GS-401

Alcohol advertising is prohibited across all Walmart placements. Non-alcohol substitutes (e.g. non-alcoholic beer) may be advertised with advanced approval. Ads for non-alcohol substitutes must target adult audiences in the jurisdiction it is being advertised in, and must not depict or encourage consumption, target minors or vulnerable groups, glamorize intoxication, or associate alcohol with vehicles, contests, health claims, or group-targeted messaging. Non-alcoholic substitute ads must prominently label their non-alcoholic nature, may not feature celebrities or athletes, and must not imply social or athletic benefits.

Contests, coupons, giveaways, sweepstakes

Policy: GS-402

Ads promoting sweepstakes, contests, giveaways, and promotional programs must meet pre-approval, vendor, and placement requirements. Walmart may not administer or sponsor programs, Walmart gift cards may not be the sole reward, and promotions exclusive to Walmart customers require merchant consultation. Coupon advertising must be pre-approved by Walmart. Coupon advertising must align with Walmart's EDLP philosophy, and all promotional targeting must be limited to adults.

Environmental

Policy: GS-403

Ads making environmental, sustainability, or 'green' claims require advanced prior approval and advertisers may be asked to substantiate claims.

Financial Products and Services

Policy: GS-404

Predatory financial services — including payday loans, penny stocks, pyramid schemes, cryptocurrency, credit repair services, and get-rich-quick schemes — are prohibited. All permissible financial services advertising requires advanced review and approval, must target adults 18+, and must adhere to the targeting criteria. Financial products are restricted to managed-service offsite and in-store placements only.

Gambling and gaming

Policy: GS-405

No gambling, betting, or gaming advertising is permitted on walmart.ca or instore advertisements. Offsite advertising may be available with advanced approval.

Health and wellness products (including drugs)

MED DEVICES

Policy: GS-406

Ads for medical devices class II-IV may require advanced approval and additional screening may be required.

NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS AND HOMEOPATHIC DRUGS

Policy: GS-407

Over the counter health and wellness products must be authorized by Health Canada for sale in Canada and advertising must adhere to industry standards (e.g. Ad Standards Canada’s Guidelines for Consumer Advertising of Health Products). Product representation must further adhere to their Terms of Market Authorization (TMA) and not go beyond their scope. This includes visual and audio representation. Visuals, graphics, schematics, and statistics should be used only in a manner consistent with those found in the TMA. Over the counter advertisements may require advanced approval and additional screening may be required.

Policy: GS-408

Natural health products and homeopathic drug products must be authorized by Health Canada for sale in Canada and advertising must adhere to industry standards (e.g. Ad Standards Canada’s Guidelines for Consumer Advertising of Health Products). Product representation must further adhere to their Terms of Market Authorization (TMA) and not go beyond their scope. This includes visual and audio representation. Visuals, graphics, schematics, and statistics should be used only in a manner consistent with those found in the TMA. Natural health products and homeopathic drug advertisements may require advanced approval and additional screening may be required.

PRESCRIPTION

Policy: GS-409

Prescription drug advertising is not permitted.

SEXUAL WELLNESS

Policy: GS-410

Sexual wellness and adult toy ads must not contain sexually explicit or implicit content, provocative imagery, suggestive phrases, acronyms, or emojis. Onsite self-serve display placements are prohibited for adult toys unless contextually targeted, and all creative must focus on the product itself, utilizing the product packaging in imagery, as applicable.

Political, Government, and religion content

Policy: GS-411

Ads must not promote political candidates, parties, ideologies, or agendas, and content that encourages political action, donations, demonstrations, or social advocacy is prohibited. Religious advocacy or disparagement of any faith or its symbols is not permitted. Social issue-related content is generally not allowed and may only be considered on a case-by-case basis with Ad Policy approval.

Tobacco, Cannabis & Substitutes

Policy: GS-412

Ads must not depict, reference, or promote tobacco products, vaping devices, marijuana, hemp, or CBD imagery — except where such imagery appears on approved product packaging for topical creams and lotions. Marijuana and dispensary advertising of any kind is not permitted on any Walmart Connect platform. Advertising for nicotine products is limited to smoking cessation and/or nicotine replacement therapies exclusively.